known that they wont rest satisfied wid the wide catalogue of ordinary and general iniquity, but they must, by way of luxury, have a lick at blasphemy, and some of the rarer vices, as often as they can, for the villains are so fastidious that they won’t put up wid common wickedness like other people.  I cannot, however, wid anything approximating to a safe conscience, rest here.  What I have said has reference to the laws of God, but what I am about to enumerate relates to the laws of man—­to the laws of the land Wid respect, then, to them, I do assure you, that although I myself look upon the violation of a great number of the latter wid a very vanial squint, still, I say, I do assure you that they have not left a single law made by Parliament unfractured.  They have gone over the whole statute-book several times, and I believe are absolutely of opinion that the Parliament is doing nothing.  The most lynx-eyed investigator of old enactments could not find one which has escaped them, for the villains are perfectly black letter in that respect; and what is in proper keeping wid this, whenever they hear of a new Act of Parliament they cannot rest either night or day until they break it.  And now for the inference:  be on your guard against this pandemonial squad.  Whatever your object may be in cultivating and keeping society wid them, theirs is to ruin you—­fleece was the word used—­an I then to cut and run, leaving Mr. Hycy—­the acute, the penetrating, the accomplished—­completely in the lurch.  Be influenced, then, by the amicitial admonitions of the inditer of this correspondence.  Become not a smuggler—­forswear poteen.  The Lord forgive me, Mr. Hycy—­no, I only wished to say forswear—­not the poteen—­but any connection wid the illegal alembic from which it is distillated, otherwise they will walk off wid the ‘doublings,’ or strong liquor, leaving you nothing but the residuum or feints.  Take a friend’s advice, therefore, and retrograde out of all society and connection wid the villains I have described; or if you superciliously overlook this warning, book it down as a fact that admits of no negation, that you will be denuded of reputation, of honesty, and of any pecuniary contingencies that you may happen to possess.  This is a sincere advice from

“Your Anonymous Friend,

“Patricius O’Finigan, Philomath.”

After perusing this characteristic production, Hycy paused for a little, and felt it very probable that there might be some reasonable grounds for its production, although he could scarcely understand upon what motive these fellows should proceed to practice treachery towards him.  That they were without principle or honesty he was perfectly satisfied; but he knew it was their interest to keep within bounds in all matters connected with their employment, He laughed very heartily at Finigan’s blunder—­for such it evidently was—­in signing his name to a document that he intended to be anonymous.

“At all events,” thought he, “I will ride over to his ‘seminary,’ as he calls it, and see what he can mean, or what his object is in sending me such a warning.”